Missing

Born into a life of privilege, Sybilla has spent the past many years opting instead to live on the streets of Stockholm, cadging a bed, a bath, a meal, where she can. Her favorite technique—one she only permits herself as a special treat—plays out at the Grand Hotel, where with luck and persistence she can usually charm a lonely visiting businessman into buying her dinner and a room for the night. But then she picks the wrong businessman. When his dead body is found the next morning, Sybilla becomes the prime suspect. And when a second person is killed in a similar way, Sybilla becomes the most wanted woman in Sweden. For years, her anonymity has sheltered her; she has found a kind of home in the invisibility of homeless life. But with her anonymity shattered, Sybilla is forced into the one course of action that might allow her to go home again.

Missing is the novel that introduced Karin Alvtegen, described as Sweden's "Queen of Crime," to the U.S.; it was nominated for an Edgar Award for Best Novel of the Year, and won the Glass Key Award for Best Scandinavian Crime novel of the year.